educational

Traffic From Directories

Directories and their baby brothers the Link Sites are backbones of the Internet. Learn to build sites that are suitable for directory listings and you’re ready for the long haul to financial success on the Internet!

What Is A Directory?
Directories and Link Sites are script-driven websites with a human touch.  Unlike a search engine, you volunteer your site and the Directory Staff decide whether or not you belong in their directory. The operators of directories spend countless hours collecting and sorting through the ‘Best of the Best’ on the Internet. 

Directories give the surfer the means to search for whatever it is they are looking for then to have the results of that search displayed in a friendly informative way.  The sites that directories list are usually well designed and content heavy to give the surfer all they wanted and the option to buy more. Directories are trusted havens for surfers trying to find everything they are looking for online.  Surfers expect that when they visit a directory they won't get lied to or tricked into going to a site they didn't want to go to. 

What Is Directory Traffic Like?
Directory traffic is one of the most valuable types of traffic.  One click from a good directory can be worth 100 clicks from lesser traffic sources. Your odds of making money off directory traffic go way up because the traffic is targeted. You won't usually see large volumes of traffic coming from a directory because there are so many other sites competing for the surfers’ eyes - but the traffic you do get will be high quality.  The surfers that use directories expect high quality sites. If your site provides what they are looking for then you will usually get listed in the directory you submit to.  Your best bet is to offer the surfer something they have a hard time finding on other sites.

Who Should Use A Directory?
Everyone should build sites targeted for directory traffic. That means: “friendly and content heavy. Non-adult directories will have the highest quality traffic and the least requirements when it comes to quality of content.  Adult directories have more stringent requirements to get listed but the traffic will be less productive.  Not to say that adult directories shouldn't be a target source of traffic for you, but more time should be spent getting into a site like DMOZ.

DMOZ attracts the average surfer – not just the porn surfer looking for a free thrill. The average surfer of a non-adult directory uses that site to find everything from Halloween costumes and stock tips to porn. Your goal in getting listed in the non-adult directories should be to put yourself in a position to collect money off the impulse buyer.  Think of it as your opportunity to be one of the conveniently located items at the checkout stand in the grocery store. They came to buy milk and eggs and this is your chance to sell them a dirty magazine.

When Not To Use A Directory
Some of the sites you will build won't be fit for a directory.  Sites where the content may not be very good or the design of the site may be to ‘trap the surfer’ won't do you any good with the directories. Directories are looking to offer their surfers a quality site that doesn't try and pull the wool over the surfers’ eyes. 

With that having been said, you can always try to submit your evil sites to the directories.  It’s not what they want in their directory and they will reject it most of the time. If your lucky maybe you can get a few of you’re evil sites listed at least for a while.  Evil sites do make their way into directories from time to time as we all know people do make mistakes and people maintain directories.  The advantage of getting an evil site listed is you can hit the surfer with the hard sell and skip all the warm fuzzy stuff you usually have to give them.

Aren't Directories Just Search Engines?
Directories often have the look and feel of a search engine but they are not the same.  You don't have to impress the search engines with your site design and content.  Search engines are run by robot or spider scripts. These scripts scour the web looking for anything and everything that meets your search criteria.  Search engines have much larger databases of sites than directories because they don't require human interaction to accumulate these databases. 

Directories are more intuitive than search engines in their results because people - not robot scripts - compile the listings. Directories only give you what they think is truly relevant to your search request.  Most surfers use true search engines and not directories so a good listing in a search engine will get you more traffic… At the same time, Directories are often integrated into search engines with the intent to include more valid results for the surfers’ request.  If you get your site listed in DMOZ you may soon discover that you’re also well ranked in the search engines because the engines know that all the links in DMOZ are hand picked. One hand helping the other!

AEBN.com, (https://www.aebn.com), the Adult Entertainment Broadcasting Network, is the original Pay-Per-View provider on the Internet. They were the first content provider to offer full-length, adult videos in a Pay-Per-Minute format. AEBN has gathered over 18,000 top-quality videos representing over 800 studios - literally the largest and broadest selection of adult videos available from one provider.

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

BranditScan's Aerie Saunders on Fostering Creator Knowledge, Confidence and Community

Aerie Saunders is firmly in her season. When she sits down with XBIZ, a fall-scented WoodWick candle burns in the background, pumpkins decorate her desk and the first signs of spooky season are already on display. Not that Saunders waits until autumn to embrace the macabre.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

What Mastercard's Scam Monitoring Program Means for Adult Merchants

Mastercard's Scam Merchant Monitoring Program (SMMP) has introduced a new, investigation-led framework that works very differently from the ratio-based chargeback programs the industry has relied on for years. It applies to card-not-present merchants globally, and Mastercard's guidance on business models warranting closer attention includes adult content and dating platforms, along with subscription services, digital goods and forex.

Len Garcia ·
opinion

Why the Right Merchant Category Code Matters for NSFW AI Businesses

You explained exactly what your NSFW AI business does to your payment processor and they seemed to get it. The underwriting process felt thorough and exhausting, but it was well worth it because you began processing.

Jonathan Corona ·
trends

How Local Payments Can Expand Access and Reduce Friction at Checkout

Global adult platforms often enter new markets with a familiar assumption: If their checkout accepts major cards, they're ready for local customers. In reality, payment habits vary widely by country. Dutch consumers use iDEAL for online shopping, BLIK is a leading e-commerce payment method in Poland, and India's UPI handles billions of transactions each month.

Mitch Platt ·
opinion

How Detailed Receipts Build Consumer Trust and Reduce Chargeback

When was the last time you bought something online? Chances are you looked for the confirmation almost immediately. Did the transaction go through? Does it show what you bought? Were you charged correctly? And if there's a problem, who can you contact?

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

What Adult Platforms Should Know About the EU AI Act

The European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act is now largely in force, creating new obligations for adult platforms using AI for content creation, performer verification, age estimation, moderation and other functions.

Corey Silverstein ·
opinion

How Native Spanish Speakers Help Pleasure Brands Expand Across Latin America

Latin America's Spanish-speaking markets represent an exciting growth opportunity for the pleasure products industry. Across the region, conversations about sexual wellness are becoming more open, specialty retailers are expanding their assortments and shoppers are seeking products that reflect their lifestyles and values.

Rin Musick ·
opinion

Why Retail Expertise Is Essential When AI Tools Analyze Store Data

Somewhere in one of our stores, someone scanned a barcode into a quantity field. The number entered was 8,388,607. At $19.99 per unit, that made a single line item worth roughly $167 million. The number was so large that the import failed immediately.

Zondre Watson ·
profile

Vendo CEO Mitch Platt Reflects on 20 Years of Lessons and Evolution

More than 20 years ago, three entrepreneurs in Barcelona began gathering over beers to pitch, dissect and routinely destroy one another's business ideas. The ritual was simple: One person arrived with a concept, while the other two tried to expose every weakness. Any proposal that survived earned another look. Most did not.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

How to Avoid the Hidden Risks of AI-Generated Legal Documents

Artificial intelligence can write a contract in seconds, but that does not mean it can write the contract your business actually needs. Across the adult industry, operators, creators and producers are increasingly using generative AI to prepare model releases, performer agreements, privacy policies, takedown notices, employment documents and responses to regulators. The appeal is obvious: Legal work is expensive, AI is fast and the resulting document often looks impressively professional. That polished appearance is exactly what makes the practice dangerous.

Corey Silverstein ·
Show More